From waste materials to product design through micro industrial symbiosis

Abstract

This study investigates the untapped potential of redesigning waste materials—specifically, pre-consumer waste or “new waste”—to create value while mitigating environmental impact. Using a multiple case study methodology, we examine 19 collaborations between manufacturing and design companies, facilitated by university actors. The aim is to understand how different value chain configurations enable and challenge redesign to prolong material lifespans in what we call ‘micro-industrial symbiosis’. Our findings reveal how actors are organised across different value constellations, and which actors are crucial in enabling the transformation of waste materials into new products. The identified value chain actors include a facilitator, a designer, a waste owner (manufacturing company), a waste processor, and a sales & distribution actor. The results highlight significant business and environmental opportunities through input substitution and extending material lifetimes. However, realising this potential requires targeted interventions to facilitate cross-disciplinary collaborations and align objectives among stakeholders. By illustrating value constellations, actors, and processes, this research provides actionable insights for practitioners and researchers interested in facilitating local micro-industrial symbiosis in manufacturing.